California Lt. Governor: This Aggression Against Our Expropriation Of Private Property Will Not Stand, Man

It is not news that California, despite what the money laundering practices aided and abetted by the NAR at the ultra-luxury segment of housing may indicate, is and has been for the past 5 years neck deep in a massive housing glut (with millions of houses held off the books in shadow inventory), which together with a complete economic collapse of this once vibrant economy, which happened to be the world's 7th largest, led various cities to resort to the socialist practice of expropriation, or, as it is known in the US, eminent domain, whereby a citizen's rights in property - in this case their home - are forcefully expropriated with due monetary compensation, naturally set by the expropriator. It is also no secret, that Wall Street, which has the most to lose by handing over property titles on mortgaged houses in exchange for money that is well below the nominal value of the mortgage, is not happy about this draconian quasi-communist measure, and has apparently told California to cease and desist. It is, apparently news that California has had enough of these bourgeois capitalist pawns, and has decided to, appropriately enough, channel El Duderino, and to tell Wall Street that this aggression against forced socialist expropriation, by broke deadbeats, will not stand... man.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom says he wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "threats" against local communities considering using eminent domain to seize and restructure poorly performing mortgages to benefit cash-strapped homeowners.

Newsom sent a letter on Monday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking federal prosecutors to investigate any attempts by Wall Street investors and government agencies to "boycott" California communities that are considering such moves.

"I am most disturbed by threats leveled by the mortgage industry and some in the federal government who have coercively urged local governments to reject consideration" of eminent domain," he wrote in a letter, a copy of which was provided to Reuters.

Newsom, a Democrat who was previously mayor of San Francisco, warned the influential Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association in July to "cease making threats to the local officials of San Bernardino County" over the proposed plan to seize underwater mortgages from private investors.

Some towns in San Bernardino County, which is located east of Los Angeles, have set up a joint authority that is looking into the idea of using eminent domain to forcibly purchase distressed mortgages. Rather than evict homeowners through foreclosure, the public-private entity would offer residents new mortgages with reduced debts.

Newsom said in the letter on Monday that while he is not endorsing the use of eminent domain at this time, he wants communities in California to be able to "explore every option" for solving their mortgage burdens "without fear of illegal reprisal by the mortgage industry or federal government agencies."

Today California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom calls on the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) to cease making threats to the local officials of San Bernardino County.

SIFMA has attacked the idea of local governments using existing law to help families remain in their homes and keep their communities viable.

"Communities have been ravaged by the housing crisis and the financial sector has had long enough to fix the problem they helped create," Newsom said. "We cannot let another day go by while families are forced from their homes. We must think big and help our local governments develop solutions - because the industry and federal government have not."

"This may be an aggressive idea, but communities such as San Bernardino, Chicago and others have no choice in these desperate times," Newsom continued. "We cannot allow Wall Street, who exploited the housing market for financial gain, to kill an idea before it is given a fair hearing."

"The true injustice of the last few years is that as banks were bailed out and government claimed it has done all it can, the homeowner, the backbone of our communities, has received nothing but eviction notices," said Newsom. "We need to help the people that government bailout programs have left behind - ordinary folks that have worked hard to keep their homes even as values plummeted."

"The economic power that would be unleashed if consumers are untethered from the anchor of these underwater mortgages would result in a return of consumer confidence, economic grow and job creation."

San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Greg Devereaux, joined by the cities of Ontario and Fontana, have set up a JointPowers Authority (JPA) to explore options to keep people in their homes before they are in foreclosure.

"I applaud the leaders in San Bernardino for thinking and acting big to protect their communities," said Newsom. "Greg Devereaux' communities are some of the hardest hit in the country and his leadership on this issue should be rewarded with support not the threats of a Washington, DC interest groups that are protecting Wall Street."

"The Washington, DC special interest groups needs to back off," said Newsom. "We owe it to homeowners everywhere to see if the solutions being discussed in San Bernardino will work."

Because it's "only fair." In other news, obviously socialists are not golfers. They may be, however, housebroken.